Fertilisers/Plant Biostimulants

The Fertilising Products Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 (the ‘FPR’) is fully applicable as of 16th July 2022, bringing into play the new procedures for marketing a wide range of fertilising products which is now possible in the EU and repealing certain parts of the old Fertilisers Regulation (EC) No 2003/2003. It expands the harmonization of legislation for making EU FP’s available on the EU Market and establishes the principles for affixing the CE marking. The FPR, however, does not prevent Member States from additionally allowing the placing on the market of fertilising products authorised under the national legislation, or through the mutual recognition route (Regulation (EU) 2019/515).

Apart from mineral fertilisers, which were already regulated by the old Fertilisers Regulation (EC) No 2003/2003 the FPR allows a very wide range of fertilizing products such as organic fertilizers, organo-mineral fertilizers, growing media or plant biostimulants to be sold in the market – provided that they comply with the environmental and safety requirements it dictates.

The inclusion of plant biostimulants in the fertilising products list is of great importance, because the FPR not only defines and regulates this type of fertilising product, but also sets out a list of acceptable claims and how these should be evaluated. This means that plant biostimulants will no longer be within the scope of the Plant Protection Products Regulation (No. 1107/2009).